Fanny Packs Are Having a Major Comeback

Tried It! is a Teen Vogue series where fashion editors test drive the most polarizing trends.

Fanny packs are the black sheep of bags. If it was 2016 and you were wearing one, you better have been a lost tourist in Times Square or an old granny at the penny slots in Vegas. But it’s 2017, and it’s the year of taking sartorial risks. This means wearing your fanny in unexpected ways. What started off as a runway styling trick at Louis Vuitton with their Supreme collaboration bags, has now turned into a street style sensation. In every city, we are seeing guys and gals wearing their fanny pack around their necks and across their shoulders.

This offbeat trend has also been a major hit with celebs — from '90s Sarah Jessica Parker rocking her Gucci logo fanny pack in Sex and the City to Rihanna and Kendall Jenner killing it in Louis Vuitton and Dior slung over their arms. And the look isn't just for women and femmes: Jared Leto and A$AP Rocky are fully embracing the fanny pack, too.

As a guy, I have a short list of “acceptable” bag options to choose from. I usually stick to a backpack, as briefcases are rather stuffy and messenger bags can be too cumbersome. Even so, people always ask me why I carry around a backpack to dinners or social gatherings. Enter the fanny pack. At first, the thought of toting one around sounded a little lame, but after seeing how it was styled in street style photos, I wanted to give it a try.

Along with Teen Vogue’s Fashion Market Editor, Sarah Brody, I decided to spend a day incorporating two different fanny packs into my daily life. What better place to test-drive them than the motherland of fanny packs, Times Square? Seeing how we were sporting Gucci and Alexander Wang, I figured we should develop a new persona of “European aristocrats summering in New York.” That air of grandeur soon came crumbling down when a businessman in Grand Central Station pushed on through and screamed back at me “I can’t stand these goddamn slow tourists.” I couldn't believe a bag had the power to breakdown my jaded, tough-as-nails New Yorker image I've spent years crafting.

The final verdict of our adventure, however, had decidedly exceeded expectation. Without having to lug around a backpack, I was able to move freely without having anything in my hand. I was also able to wear it in the front, which made me feel safe from pickpocketing. The smaller compartments forced me to edit what I carried, so the weight of everything was a lot lighter than what I'm used to. Fanny packs may still be a polarizing trend, but after a full day of trying it out, I have to say this is a fashion win for both function and style.